A suicide bomber blew up his car outside an army recruiting centre in central Baghdad today killing around 47 people and injuring 50.

It was the second deadly suicide attack in two days on Iraqis working with the US-led coalition, following a truck bombing against a police station south of Baghdad that killed 53 people and wounded scores, including Iraqi recruits applying for jobs.

About 300 Iraqis were today outside the recruiting station, some lined up to join the military and others waiting to depart for a training camp in Jordan, when the car blew up.

He told reporters: "This crime will not deter the people's march toward freedom."

The blast was at about 7.25am less than a mile from the high-security area where US administrators are based, a coalition spokesman said.

Colonel Ralph Baker of the 1st Armoured Division said a man driving a white car detonated about 300 to 500 pounds of explosives.

Ghasan Sameer, 32, an officer in the new Iraqi army, who was in hospital with broken legs and shrapnel wounds, said: "I saw a white Oldsmobile slowly approaching. It ran over some people and exploded. I was blown up in the air and saw fire and body parts all around me."

Hussein Raad, 20, was in the queue of volunteers when he noticed a car approaching and "felt the blast".

He said: "The blast threw me a few yards away."

Officials at Yarmouk said they had received eight wounded and that others were taken elsewhere. The total number of wounded was not known, the coalition spokesman said.

Colonel Baker said there was no immediate indication who was behind the attack but said it resembled "the operating technique" of al-Qaida or Ansar al-Islam.

He said: "A lot of young men in this country want to be part of the solution.

"I don't think it will have a tremendous effect on recruiting."

It was at least the ninth vehicle bombing in Iraq this year.

The deadliest so far has been in the northern city of Irbil on February 1 when two suicide bombers blew themselves up at two Kurdish party offices celebrating a Muslim holiday, killing at least 109 people.